FERGUS – Rea Garrison was in Grade 6 when she first started working on her now-published novel, The Long Way Home.
The book stars a curious dragon named Jasper and tells the story of a group of friends banding together to escape from “bad guys.”
That’s about all the details of the book’s action Garrison will share, as she doesn’t want to spoil too much before readers have a chance to find out for themselves.
Though Garrison wrote the book as part of a Ripple Foundation Kids Write 4 Kids Creative Challenge, she told the Advertiser she was actually hoping not to win.
That’s because the Ripple Foundation would publish the winning book – and Garrison preferred to publish The Long Way Home herself, so she could maintain full creative freedom with how the book turned out.
And she did just that – at the end of 2022 Garrison published the novel with Robin’s Quill Publishing. The publishing company was launched by her grandmother, or baba, Robin Livingston, and The Long Way Home is the first book the company published.
Garrison worked on writing the novel for about two years, and attended virtual creative writing workshops by the Ripple Foundation and Word on the Street Toronto that helped her with brainstorming and character development.
Garrison said before she started writing she went through the whole plot line in her mind, and carefully considered the characters and setting.
The setting includes a secret dragon island, and a big mansion on top of a hill in a small town on the mainland, she said.
Once Garrison started writing, she’d complete a couple chapters at a time and then head over to Livingston’s house to edit together with her Baba.
“She was teaching me a lot about show, don’t tell,” Garrison said of Baba’s advice.
For example, they would practice making facial expressions that showed certain emotions, so Garrison could describe the expression on someone’s face instead of saying they said something “angrily.”
Garrison comes from a family of writers and artists who helped her along the way by editing and offering feedback, particularly her Baba, aunts, and mom Lauren Livingston Garrison.
Garrison’s Aunt Roybn Dalgleish did the cover art, with guidance from Garrison about her vision.
“I had a lot of help from my family because they are all talented in different ways,” Garrison told the Advertiser. “I probably couldn’t have done it without them.”
And when Garrison got to first hold her book in her hands, it was Baba who passed it to her.
“I was like, wow.” She felt impressed to see her years of work in print.
Garrison’s family helped her arrange a book launch at their church, Grace Christian Fellowship.
They made invitations and sent them to friends, family, teachers, and members of the youth group.
Garrison’s Grandma Anne and Great Grandma Doris baked lots of treats for everyone to enjoy.
“Over 60 people came,” including the vice principal at St. Joseph Catholic School, and they sold every copy of the book they had, Livingston Garrison said with pride in her voice.
For Garrison, the launch was a little overwhelming. “I don’t like to be the centre of attention,” she said, and “I don’t like crowds.”
But it does feel exciting to know so many people have read her work, she said.
That includes teachers reading it to their students, her mom noted.
The novel is dedicated to Mrs. Reimer, Garrison’s favourite teacher at St. Joseph Catholic School, “who always encouraged me to write,” and to her friend Piper Gordon, “who spurred me on,” and helped to develop Garrison’s favourite character, Everly.
Everly is a young maid “who grew up without parents, basically homeless,” who befriends Jasper the dragon and they work to protect each other and their friends, Garrison said.
Everly is her favourite because “she has a heart, and she protects her friends.” And she’s cool, too, Garrison said.
Reading and writing hasn’t always come easily to Garrison and she really struggled with writing when she was younger, her mom said.
It was writing about dragons in Grades 3 through 5 that really built her confidence and ability with both reading and writing, she noted.
“I realized I actually really liked to read and write” during that time, Garrison said.
“I’m not a fast reader,” she said, “but I really like to read, a lot.”
Garrison said the book is mostly aimed at Grades 1 to 4, but older kids have been reading it too because they’re excited that it was written by someone close to their age.
To purchase a copy of the novel for $10, email Livingston Garrison at arlegarrison@gmail.com.
